Triggers are friends to follow: The process of self exploration

Triggers are friends to follow. What pushes buttons in us shows us our work—the unhealed, unconscious parts of ourselves.

This is an exercise we've prescribed countless times, especially during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. As we connect with our internal mechanism of vulnerability, the process is revelatory.

Step one: look for a recent trigger, something that pushed a button in you—the more recent the better. It can be anything, even something little or silly.

Step two: trace that trigger back to its roots, doing kind of an internal journey. What's the earliest time in your life you can recall where you felt that way? Try to articulate the feeling, for example, “I felt rejected.” “I felt unseen, unheard, disrespected…” whatever it may be.

And when you find your way back to the very beginning, and you think of the unmet needs at the time, in that process you can actually start to meet those needs. Imagine offering yourself reassurance and comfort, meeting those needs in whatever way you can. As you do this, notice what happens in the body. It's amazing what this self-acknowledgment and affirmation can do to the deep, unhealed parts of ourselves.

And the exciting part is that we can do this practice all the time! You could do it all day every day as triggers appear. As we recognize the deeper emotions and unmet needs fueling triggers, we can understand ourselves better and start to meet those needs. Sounds like a valuable life skill, right?

Check out this video for guided walk-through of the process.